Maddux, Thomas Named To Baseball Hall Of Fame Ballot

CHICAGO (CBS) — Former Chicago Cubs pitcher Greg Maddux and White Sox slugger Frank Thomas were named to the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot on Tuesday.

It is the first time both former Chicago stars appeared on the ballot, which is being mailed this week to more than 600 voting members of the Baseball Writers Association of America.

Results will be announced Jan. 8, 2014.

Players must be named on 75 percent of ballots cast to earn election.

Maddux won four consecutive National League Cy Young Awards from 1992-95 and a record 18 Gold Glove Awards in a 23-season career in which he compiled a 355-227 record with a 3.16 earned run average and 3,371 strikeouts in 5,008 1/3 innings combined for the Chicago Cubs, Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres.

The right-hander led the NL in ERA four times and won at least 15 games for 17 straight seasons, another record.

Thomas, who won consecutive American League MVP Awards with the Chicago White Sox in 1993 and ’94 and placed in the top three in the voting five times overall, finished his 19-year career with 2,468 hits, including 521 home runs.

He drove in 1,704 runs, scored 1,494 and had more walks (1,667) than strikeouts (1,397).